Fall Fun

As these wonderful sights, smells, and signs of fall envelop you, make it a point to involve your baby or small child by pointing them out. Babies learn through their senses (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hands). Use as many as you can all day, every day.
I have found 16oz. plastic cups in fall colors (red, orange, yellow, green). Consider using them for games and activities during this season, or cover cups with colored paper. Babies will enjoy mouthing, holding, dropping, and looking at them. Cruisers and early toddlers will enjoy stacking them and knocking them over again and again.
Older toddlers and preschoolers will spend lots of time stacking, throwing, building, and sorting. Provide them with a cup of each color and leaves you have cut or torn from paper in the colors of the cups. If you have access to them, you may want to gather real leaves in these colors getting him to help you. Weather permitting, remain outside as he then places green leaves in a green cup, yellow leaves in the yellow cup and so on.
If you have leaves in red, yellow, and brown, sing or chant this song as your little guy lets the leaves tumble down:
Autumn leaves are now falling,
Red and yellow and brown.
Autumn leaves are now falling,See them tumbling down.
To use the senses of taste, smell, hearing, touch, and sight, provide apple juice warmed with a bit of cinnamon (taste and smell), or popcorn (eyes, ears-hearing it pop, and crunch as he uses his hands to eat it) sprinkled with a little pumpkin spice. YUM!
Most children, no matter the age, enjoy activities and games in which they are required to fall down. Pretend you are a scarecrow and must walk with wobbly legs looking for a stick to help hold you upright. Falling into a pile of leaves involves all manner of sensory input! Have older preschoolers ages 3-5 tell you which senses he is using. (My ears are hearing the leaves crunch. My hands feel the leaves. My nose can smell the leaves. My eyes can see the colors of the leaves.)
If you can, drive or walk around your neighborhood and look for autumn decorations. Ask your child to name things in the decorations: leaves, pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows, witches, brooms, ghosts, colors, etc. Make up songs, chants, and rhymes with your child. Be goofy! Laugh. Have lots of fun. Make happy memories.
God does tease our senses during this time of year. It’s a perfect setting to give thanks for all He has provided for us. Just a simple, “Thank You, God, for my eyes (ears, hands, nose, mouth/tongue) so I can see (hear, feel, smell, taste) the ____________” is sufficient Happy thankful parenting.